Steering-wheel.



E. L. EUssEY.`

" STEERING WHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 4. 1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

flor/gays.

PAIENTED MAE. r4, 1905.

-PATENTED MAR. 14, 1905.

P. L. HUSSEY. STEERING WHEEL. APPLIUATION FILED JUNE 4. loo'a.

2 SHEETS-#SHEET z.

WITNESSES.

UNITED 'STATES PATRICK L.l HUSSEY, or CLEVELAND, om@ A, f), l

STEERING-WHEEL. fr

' spncrmcnrion fom-.ing part of Letters Patent No. 785,073, aateamarn 14,l ieee.; Application filed June 4, 1903. Serial No. 159,98?

Be it known that I, PATRICK L. HUssEY, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga 5 and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and usefullmprovementsinSteeringfWheels, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention -relates to improvements in hand-wheels and the like, and especially'to steering-,wheels for motor-vehicles and similar purposes; and its object is to provide ineans for so attaching the wheel to the up- To all whom,l 111 may concern:

lov

.adjusted toward or from the operator for the purpose of giving free ingress to and egress from the vehicle and for convenience and ease of manipulation by different operators and zo also for so attaching the wheel to the steering-shaft that when in operative position it will be as rigidly secured thereto as though it.

were integral therewith, a further object of the invention being to provide certain other new and useful features, all as hereinafter more fully described, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a transverse vertical section of a devic Aembodying the invention; Fig. 2, a

3o perspcc ive view of tlie wheel, showing the .under side of the saine: Fig.3, a perspective View of the upper entigf the steering-shaft andhead, partly in section; Fig. 4, a detail illustrating a inodiiication having means for operating both latches at once;l Fig. 5, affurther modification illustrating a construction in which but oiie latch is used and in which `the wheel has several ad justinents. Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a modified form of steering-shait and head.

As shown in the drawings, A is the vertically-extending steering-shaft, which is connected at its lower end by any suitable means (not shown) to the vforward or steering-vehicle wheels to transmit motion from the hand-wheel B to tu rn said wheels.

-to the-upper end of said shaft is a forging forming a supporting-head C, to which the wheel B is adjustably secured by providing 5o said head with an undercut channel or groove per end of the steeringshaft that it may bel to' normally hold the late 4with a pin D2, extending through aslot inthe Keyed Patented March 14, 1905.

PATENT '()FFIC-n.'

C' in the upper face of the head and 'v the spider B2 of the wheel with a tongue orlib B on the under side to engagefsaid groove, The head is provided with a forwardly-extended portion C" to give a longer groove, 5 5 thus allowing a greater'movement of therib` B therein, and said rib is also extended'for the same` purpose, being formed integral with two of the arms of the wheel-spider'Band extended across the' axis of the Wheelv @e head is also provided with laterally-extend? ing portions C3, each formed withl an opening to receive a latch D, provided witha guidestem, upon which a coiled sging D is sleeved forging and provided with a knobat its, outer end by. means of which the latch is operated-= i The two arms of the spider'B2 whichextend oppositely to those formed withthe'rib larve 7ov each formed with a lug B3,having anotch its side for the engagement ofthe latches, so that when the axisy of the wheel is in line :with the axis of the shaft the latches will'engage these notches and hold the wheel lfromA slid- 7 5 ing on the head. When the latcheslarethus. Y engaged, the wheel is held as rigidly in position on the shaft 'as `thoughit were iininovably secured thereto, because ofthefoiun of the connection or rib and groove and ,the #Se length of bearing 'which thelribfhas in, the groove, and the operatormay veryreadily inove `the wheel out of the way in getting in or out oi the vehicle by pressingthel'atches, toward each other and sliding the-wheel foif- 85 w'ard, the latches automatically'lockingthe parts when the wheel` is drawnj backbythe operator after taking his scat.'-

'lo facilitate the operating ofthe latelies,'a

sleeve E, as shown in Fig. 4, maybe provided 9erI vertical locking-pin F, which extends uproo i projected, and -65 ward through an opening in the extended portion C2 of the head to engage any one of a series of openings F in the bottom of the rib This pin F is operated by a bell-crank lever F2, pivoted at Fa'to thc head and provided with a slot at one end engaged by a pin on the end of thc arm F2. A spring F4 is provided to normallyhold the bell-erank in a position to force the pin F into the openings F', and by providing a series of these openings the wheel may be locked in any position to which it may be adjusted, so that it may be in a convenient position for that particular operatorror may be pushed forward out of Y the way 1n gettlng in or out.

The rim or hand-grip B4 of the wheelB is Y preferably round and secured to the outer ends of the arms of the spider B2 by screws and `also .by small tug-pins or lugs B" on the arms, which project into the rim'and take the tugging or strain which would otherwise come on the screws and tend to cause them ito work loose.

Fig. 6 shows the steeringshaftA bent at'right angles at its upper end lto form the head, and the upper side ofthis bent end is provided withL an undercutgroove f C4 to receive a correspondingly-formed tongue or rib on the Wheel. 4

. f Havin@r thus fully described my invention, what I c aim is- 1'., The combination with ashaft and va' hand-wheel, of a head on the shaft, and means whereby the wheel is attached .to the head to .turn the shaft free to slide in a plane at rightangles thereto. 2. Thecombination with a vertically-ex'- tending shaft, of a head on said shaft, and a hand-wheel secured to said head'to turn the 1 shaft and-shiftable thereon in a plane at substantially right angles thereto.

f; 3.1 The combination with a shaft, of ahead on said shaft, a hand-wheel having a sliding engagement Withsaid head free to move in a plane i at substantially right angles to the shaft, and *means for locking EAhe "heel to the The coi'nlipination, of a shaft extending in substanti a vertical direction, a head on said shaft, a hand-wheel on said hea d with its rim extending in substantially a horizontal direction, and means for attachingfthe wheel to the head to move thereon transversely ofthe shaft and for maintaining said wheel in its substantially horizontal position throughout said movement.

5. The combination with a shaft, of'a head on said shaft, a hand-wheel, means on the head and Wheel for uniting the sannand guiding the wheel free to slide in a plane at .substantially right angles thereto, and means for locking the wheel to the head to turn the shaft.

6. The combination, with a shaft, of ahead tending shaft, of a head lsecured to the upper end of said shaft having an undercut groove 1n 'its upper face and lateral extensions formed with openings, a hand-wheel, a corresponding rib on said wheel to engage said groove, lugs on-said lwheel having notches, andlatches in the openings o f said extensions to en age the notches in said lu s,

` 9. he co bination with t e steeringshaft, of a head .on.'said,shaft, a hand-wheel, meansfor locking the Wheelto the head, and

. means. for shifting: the wheel laterally and maintaining th'e'same in its own plane.

In testimony whereof l affix my signat'u re in presence of two witnesses.

PATRioK L. I-n'i'ssEY.

Witnesses: OTTO F. BAETHEL, 'LEWIS E. FLANDERS.

7. The combination, with a shaft, of a head 

